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Home, Sweet Home

Prior to leaving for China, I had lost my enthusiasm for our apartment. It felt cluttered, perpetually dusty, kitschy, and too many other negative things. I longed for a new place to live, to start fresh again, to get rid of all the things that we don’t absolutely love. When I was procrastinating (i.e. not studying for finals), I was browsing Craigslist for new rentals and Realtor.ca for a potential purchase. I would look at every corner and surface in our apartment with mild disgust.

I am back after a little over three weeks of galavanting in China, sleeping in small and uninspiring rooms, and I am back with a new-found appreciation for our apartment. Our one-bedroom-&-den in Mount Pleasant was a dream to come home to. Spacious (enough), bright, comfortable, and most importantly, it’s home. The collection of disorganized (and yet organized) books, records, knick-knacks is a projection of us, of the time I spent meticulously arranging and rearranging things until I felt that it was perfect for a split second and then the next I was over it.

It’s the little things about this place that I love. There’s a corner on the sofa where when you sit and gaze out the window, you feel like you’re in a tree-house because the only thing visible is a line of giant trees. The colour of the sun that pours in through the kitchen window places a golden blanket on everything and I swear it makes the food I cook taste better. All of our house plants are happy, from the tomatoes, to the Jade, to the air plant. There is every possible level of sunlight thanks to our southwest facing wrap-around windows.

I can feel the end of my relationship with this apartment ending. Soon, we will move on, and although I will be incredibly excited to live in a new space, to start with a blank canvas, I know I will miss Unit 304. I think Windsor will miss it too.